DVLA confirms £5,690 charges for petrol drivers – | Tech News

The DVLA has confirmed the primary car tax licence charges for vehicles registered after April 1, 2026 – with the very high charge of tax now set at a blistering £5,690 per 12 months.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Licensing Agency has issued a confirmed checklist of ‘first licence rates’ of vehicle tax which shall be levied on vehicles first registered on or after April 1, 2026.

The ‘first licence rate’ bands have been set based mostly on emissions, and apply to petrol and diesel vehicles, with the bottom band set at £10 and the best set at £5,690 per 12 months.

The bands imply that low emission vehicles get away with cheaper charges, with many petrol vehicles made within the final three years having much less than 130g/kg, which might put them within the £455 annual bracket or decrease.

But patrons of many well-known manufacturers shall be stung for the highest charge of vehicle tax, together with massive identify SUVs.

Cars which pump out more than 255g/km and so would appeal to the highest charge embrace the Alfa Romea Stelvio 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo, a number of Audi fashions together with the R8 5.2 V10 and the S8 4.0 V8.

BMW SUVs together with BMW X6 M 4.4 V8 and the X7 M 4.4 V8 would additionally qualify, in addition to the Jaguar F-Pace 5.0 V8 and Land Rover’s Defender 90 5.0 V8 and Defender 110 5.0 V8, in addition to the Range Rover 4.4 V8, the Range Rover Sport 4.4p V8 and the favored SUV, the Porsche Cayenne 4.0T V8.

Older vehicles have totally different charges. The identical emissions bracket for vehicles registered between March 2001 and April 2017 would value £790 for their first 12 months.

After the primary 12 months, all petrol vehicles registered since April 1, 2017 drop to a customary charge. From April 2026, this has been elevated from £195 to £200 throughout the board regardless of emissions, until you pay by instalments, after which it’s £210.

Breakdown consultants the RAC clarify: “From April 1, 2026, the standard tax rate for all petrol, diesel or hybrid cars registered after April 1, 2017 rises to £200.

“If you pay for six months tax, it’ll cost £110, or £105 if you opt to set up a direct debit. If you pay in 12 monthly instalments your total car tax cost will be £210.

“If your vehicle had a list price that exceeded £40,000 when it was first sold (or £50,000 if your car is electric) then you may also be liable for the ‘luxury car tax’ fee, which now adds £440 to the vehicle’s annual VED costs – taking it up to £640.

“You may pay less or more if your car was first used before 2017. The exact fee for your annual road tax will boil down to the year your car was first registered, the type of fuel it uses and its tailpipe emissions.

“Electric cars no longer qualify for free road tax, and in April 2026 drivers of electric cars under a year old will start paying the £200-a-year flat rate.”

Siobhan Doyle, a client author at Carwow, stated: “2026 is a big year for drivers because so many changes touch everyday life, from what you pay to how closely rules are enforced.

“Some updates are already in place, like the congestion charge increase in London, while others land later in the year, including fuel duty changes and Euro 7 rules. There are also road safety measures being discussed, but drivers should treat those as proposals until anything is confirmed.

“The simplest way to stay on the right side of the rules is to keep the basics watertight. Make sure your licence details are up to date and set reminders for your MOT, tax and insurance, because enforcement is becoming more automated and it’s easier than ever to get caught out.”